1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the interaction between computer devices and input devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a configurable operating system for automatic transfer and conversion of data from input devices to applications.
2. The Prior Art
For many years, computers were large, bulky machines that were difficult to transport. More recently, however, computers have evolved to such a degree that portable laptop, palmtop, and other small computers have become quite common. Additionally, small yet inexpensive computers have been developed which lack much of the processing power and memory availability of the more expensive, or larger computers, but have just enough power and memory to perform specific tasks. These computers are used in a number of different applications, including inventory control, word processing, and data collection.
Typically, these computers are used with a wide variety of input devices. These include keyboards, bar code symbol scanners, image scanners, microphones, digital cameras, and electronic pens, among others. The goal of these systems is to allow information (audio, bar code symbol, video, text, etc.) to be received by the computer and transferred to an application program in a form the application can use. Generally, the task of managing these input devices falls on an application program containing routines which were developed on a case by case basis. For example, a word processor may require input from a keyboard. Therefore, the word processor will be designed with some code routines that cause the word processor to wait for input from a keyboard, and when input is received, to print the input on the screen where the cursor is located.
A keyboard is a relatively simple input device. When using a more advanced input device, such as a bar code symbol scanner, the process becomes even more cumbersome. The word processor will be designed with some code routines that cause the word processor to look for input from a bar code scanner, then to go through a process of conversions to convert the input signals into information that the word processor can use. A similar problem arises in the use of image scanners, where optical character recognition (OCR) software may be needed in order to convert the "picture" data to "text" data. Code routines need to be developed on a case by case basis to call the appropriate conversion applications.
One example of the use of an application program to manage the input from various devices is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,516, which discloses an interface that polls the appropriate input devices until a signal is received, then disables access to other input devices while data is being received. While this polling method provides for a highly efficient interface to manage multiple input devices, it is still being managed by an application, thus using up valuable memory and processor time. What is needed is an interface that may be run by an operating system, reducing the burden placed on the application or applications.
Another problem that arises during the management of input devices is that oftentimes input signals may be in an improper form due to an incorrect setting on the input device. For example, the volume of the audio data input from a microphone may be too low due to the recording level on the microphone being at too low a setting, or the image data from a scanner may be too dark because the iris control on the scanner is set incorrectly. The data can normally be corrected using application programs, such as a program which amplifies the sound data to correct for the low recording level of a microphone, or a program which increases the brightness of an image to correct for an incorrect iris setting. However, programs such as these use up valuable processor and memory resources. What is needed is an interface that may reconfigure the input devices such that future data received from the input devices does not require correction, or at least minimizes the correction needed.
Another problem that arises in the use of such small computers is that they may require a large number of conversion applications in order to properly translate all of the possible types of input data. For example, for a word processing application alone, the system may require conversion programs to translate data from a scanner, a microphone, a bar code symbol reader, and an electronic pen. This multiplicity of conversion programs takes up valuable memory space. What is needed is a system that reduces the number of conversion applications on a computer.
Additionally, because of the relative lack of processing speed and memory contained in the small computers (which reduces the size and cost of the computers), the computers are generally tailored to specific tasks. For example, one computer may be tailored to inventory control while another is tailored to word processing. Thus, to reduce the burden on the system, the operating system may also be tailored to the specific task. This creates a problem, however, when the user wishes to switch from one task to another. Manually loading a new operating system and application programs can be a time consuming task, involving attaching an interface and a disk drive or some other storage medium to the computer or perhaps returning the computer to a docking station for reprogramming. What is needed is a system having an interface which allows for automatic and simple updates to the operating system and application programs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interface which may be run by an operating system, reducing the burden placed on the application or applications and therefore reducing the amount of memory and processor speed required by the system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an interface which may control the settings on the input devices to reduce the number of manipulations that need to be run on incoming data.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system which contains multiple conversion applications taking up less space than multiple conversion applications normally would.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system in which the operating system and applications may be automatically updated quickly and easily.